Mailbag: Why Not Play Frederick At Center, Costa At Guard?

Tuesday, June 25, 2013 6:00 AM CDT

DOUG HARTHALIFAX, NSThere's a lot of talk about moving Frederick to guard and keeping Costa as the starter at center. If center was such an area of need that it warranted a first round pick, why move that pick to guard? Why can't Costa play guard?

Bryan: This is going to sound funny but it actually goes back to the days of when Hudson Houck was the line coach here and the size of the guards. There has always been a belief that the guards have to be a certain size. If you check the height of Phil Costa it says he is 6-3 but he is actually 6-2 1Ž2 with a weight of 313 pounds which is seven pounds lighter than Nate Livings and Mackenzy Bernadeau. Travis Frederick is over 6-3 in height but his weight is 317 pounds. The thought in the front office is that Costa is not big enough to play guard and Frederick is.

David: I see your point, and I think Costa definitely has the flexibility to play one of the guard positions. But my argument for Costa at center is his experience at the position. Center is widely considered one of the harder spots to learn on the offensive line, along with left tackle. It might benefit Frederick to spend a year at an easier position, learn from Frederick and eventually take over. The same setup worked for Tyron Smith.

JUSTIN ALLENPORTAGE, INIf J.J. Wilcox wins the starting job of any Safety position, would it be because he's really that talented, or does it show a lack of talent at the position on this team?

Bryan: I wrote about J.J. Wilcox on Monday for DallasCowboys.com and told you why I thought he could start because he is a talented player. Will Allen has the feel for the scheme because he is played in it before and Matt Johnson has also had his moments where he has done a nice job but Wilcox has made more plays on the ball and has shown up more than the other two and when they put on the pads, I believe that he will show up even more. If he wins this job, it will be because he is a better player.

David:This might not be the most loaded safety chart in the NFL, but there’s no way a rookie safety could be a Day 1 starter in the NFL without displaying some immense skills. Will Allen’s no Pro Bowler, but he’s a 10-year veteran and has

two years’ worth of starts to his name. Barry Church and Matt Johnson are unproven, but again: you can’t climb to the top of an NFL depth chart without some serious chops. Church has proven he can do that, and Johnson was on pace before injuries derailed him. If Wilcox pulls it off, it will say way more about his abilities than the talent around him.